He shrugs. ‘The only surprising thing was how hurt I was. Somehow I never saw it coming. I’d fooled myself into thinking I was okay because someone loved me, and then I had to face the fact that I’d got so lost along the way that my bank balance was the only thing anyone could possibly like about me.’

I squeeze his hand so tightly that I’m sure I hear a few bones crick. ‘Either you’re seeing something that I’m not or you’re very different now.’

I feel his face move against my shoulder as he grins. ‘It was ten years ago. I’ve had a lot of time to straighten myself out. You know how people pay for therapists and stuff?’

I nod, my cheek moving against his hair.

‘Trees are surprisingly good listeners and digging over fields is therapeutic work. Evergreene was ten years older than when I’d left, so was my mum, they both needed help, and it’s good outdoor, fresh air, physical work. It helped. Also, Chihuahuas. Chihuahuas are good.’

I can’t help chuckling at the sentiment. Gizmo would approve.

‘Peppermint Branches is a strange place. You can hide from the world here, but at the same time, you can’t escape the world here. There’s a whole other life that exists only in our Elffield bubble, and you have no choice about being part of it.’

‘Because if you back away, Fergus and Fiona will come along and ply you with gingerbread rhinoceroses and village gossip?’

His entire body shakes as he laughs.

‘The weird part is that I understand what you mean, and in a strange way, I think it might be exactly what I need. I’ve definitely been hiding from the world.’

He looks up at me but I close my eyes and keep my head pressed against his to avoid eye contact.

‘Maybe you need a different world,’ he says eventually. ‘I think when someone you love dies, it changes you. Not on the surface, but deep down inside, there’s a part of you that will never be the same again. What you know doesn’t “fit” anymore. I can’t pretend to know how it feels to lose both parents in the way you did. I’d guess that you do whatever you have to do to get from one day to the next, and the only thing you have to cling onto is the hope that one day it will get better.’

I swallow around the lump that has suddenly leapt into my throat. ‘You’ve got to stop being so nice, you’re going to make me cry again in a minute.’